


No Guarantee of Tomorrow

by FanFiction_Artist_Prototype



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Character Death, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-26
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 08:32:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14445396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFiction_Artist_Prototype/pseuds/FanFiction_Artist_Prototype
Summary: Words in brackets [] are Spanish. The only time any actual Spanish will be in here is if it's Spanglish.





	1. Chapter 1

[This fanfic is based on this song.](https://youtu.be/2-MBfn8XjIU)

* * *

 

“I need you to just do me one thing. Just - just one thing okay? I need you to not fall asleep. I need you to stay awake, because if you close those pretty blue eyes of yours I’m afraid...no terrified that they won’t open again. And then what will I do? Nothing to stare at, no pretty blue oceans attached to a person with a love deeper than the Mariana Trench. An idiot all the same though. So please, just don’t. Don’t close your eyes, please...please! L- No. no no no no! Lance! Lance open your eyes right now!”

He could hear the other Paladins through the coms shout for an explanation but he ignored them. No, Lance couldn’t be, he wouldn’t die. He couldn’t die. Keith wouldn’t let him die. All he could focus on was those eyes fluttering closed, and the small smile left on his cold lips. Chest unmoving.

”Lance! This isn’t funny Lance! Open your eyes! Come on! What, is this some sort of sick prank!? Ha ha ha Lance, there we’re all laughing with you Lance! It’s very funny. You’ve scared me, time to wake up now. Come on! Wake up please!”

Sobs ripped their way from his throat and he leans forward, forehead resting on Lance’s, who’s head lay in his lap.

“Please...Lance please. Just. Wake up. I can’t do this without you. I love you okay, is that what you want to hear? I’ll say it a million times each day if you just wake up. That’s all I need you to do Lance. Just open your eyes.”

The lifeless body didn’t respond and Keith finally let his heart wrenching yowl out, the sound of pure heartbreak and grief clear as day.

”No! No he isn’t! Keith tell me he isn’t dead!”

Looking down at the charred corpse of the Blue Paladin Keith almost couldn’t get the words out, “I can’t Pidge, I’m sorry.”


	2. I’m gonna hold you, like I’m gonna lose you

Tears, shaking and a cold sweat.

Three things shock Keith when he awakens, he’s not in the Galra ship, he’s not in the middle of a battle field...and Lance is asleep next to him. He is asleep...right?

Propping himself up on his arm he leans over his boyfriend and watches as the Cuban boys chest rises and falls steadily, healthy. Alive. He’s alive. The tears were silent up until that point, but the second he sees that Lance is alive and well, he can’t help but sob.

Loud, heart wrenching sobs escape him and it’s now that he’s regretting how empty his room is. There’s nothing to focus on, nothing to distract himself with, only the boy next to him but that isn’t going to stop him crying. He curls into a ball now, while still sat up, and presses as close to the wall as physically possible and just cries. Because oh Quiznack, it wasn’t real. Lance isn’t dead, he’s right there, alive and breathing. And he isn’t dead in his lap with a small soft smile on his face after saying their first ‘I love you’ to each other.

* * *

 Lance is alive. And waking up. The tanned boy groans as he rolls over, face mask absent for once and hair messy and wild, plastered to his forehead in some places. Keith watches like a hawk through his tears, as Lances own eyes crack open. Looking lost for a few seconds before noticing him and lowly pushing himself up. He can tell Lance is being cautious. It’s the way Lance is remaining silent for now and slowly moving to sit up, the douve slipping down slightly.

”Keith,” it’s not tense, but it certainly isn’t the happy go lucky tone his boyfriend is known for, “Keith babe, can you speak to me?” He nods, then realises that contradicts the question and let’s out a cracked “Yeah...” a tanned hand rests on his knee and he flinches back without meaning to. It's just...Lance is alive okay? And he can't count the amount of times that he's nearly seen him die - in real life and in the dream world - and it's the first time he's actually _seen_ him die. And he just can't deal with that, not with the fact that he knows it's a far too real possibility.

"What's wrong Keith? I need you to speak to me." Lance's hand is removed from his knee but instead is cradling his cheek and Lance shifts closer to him. Now in front of him and cradling both his cheeks, Keith can only watch through the tears as his boyfriend examines his face and waits patiently for him to talk. "I-it was just another stupid nightmare." He would of buried his face into his knees again if it wasn't for the hands holding his face in place.

"It's not just a stupid nightmare Keith. You usually go to the training deck with a normal nightmare, not curl up and try and sink into the wall. So please, if you can, tell me what's wrong."

He hates how Lance is right, but he doesn't want to turn around and tell him the reason why he can't move. Tell him that he saw him die and can't get over the fact that even though it wasn't real, he feels like it was. Because it always cuts off before he dies, but this time it didn't and Keith had the ability to fucking **save** him but he was too slow. He's brought out of his thoughts by a hand brushing his hair out of his eyes. The once soft and delicate tanned hands that are now worn and covered in scars. _And covered in blood_ his mind tells him. But they weren't... because that wasn't real.

"I-" He's weak and he knows that. He can't even get it out. Lance is right and he can admit that now. Because if it was just a stupid nightmare he could turn round and just tell him.

"Shush...Babe, babe it's fine. You don't have to talk okay? Just, Keith please stop crying, you're really scaring me now." He thought he'd stopped crying? Raising one hand tentatively to his face, avoiding the hands holding his cheeks in the process, he feels the tears on his face and chokes out an apology.

"I-I'm sorry I didn't think I was-"

"No!" He flinches again from Lance's raised voice, for goodness sake, he was a paladin of Voltron that nearly died on a regular basis why was he scared of his boyfriend's raised voice! "No. Don't apologize Keith. You can cry, shit I just realised how insensitive that sounded. No. It's just scary you know?" Lance's voice is quieter, obviously catching him flinch and if he wasn't trying to calm his laboured breathing Keith would be laughing at the face his boyfriend was making as he tried to backtrack.

"I mean, you're always so stoic and brave. Which is kind of why I fell for you I mean who wouldn't love that 'I could fucking kill you and bring you back to do it again because you got blood on my go-go boots' vibe you have? But anyway!" He couldn't help the small little smile coming to his face as Lance began to ramble, a small blush appearing on both their faces.

"Even when the rest of us are freaking out you just go ahead like it's completely normal, and I-I don't think I've ever seen you cry before? And it's just...it's jut wow okay?" He knew Lance knew he knew he was rambling. Wow that was confusing to think.

"I mean, it's such a honour? No...privilege? I don't know, but it means so much to me to know that you're letting me see you so vulnerable. I hope you know that. I'm never gonna judge you...unless it's like some sort of weird kink then I'm sorry I'll have to kink shame you."

Keith couldn't help the laugh escape him then. Lance had a way of making him happy even at the worst of times, like when he was on a mission for the blade and had had to team up with the rest of Voltron and gotten captured. Lance had made a big deal out of it and over a, very much, open com-link talked about what he was going to do to the Galra in exaggerated detail. He could still remember the slasher film content that Lance had spieled about and how the purple had _drained_ from the Galra commanders face (and it was made better by the fact they hadn't even been dating yet.)

"There's that laugh." A soft smile graced his lips as Keith couldn't help but question Lance; "How do you make me feel so happy?"

The blush that spread across the Cuban's face was unexpected but not unwelcome. A goofy grin also spread across his face as he got on his knees and leant in closer so both of them were nose to nose. "I don't know. How do you make me feel so loved?"

That was when Keith felt his face light up like a flame, good lord Lance was insufferable when he meant to flirt, but when things like that just came out...  
To put it lightly, Keith was glad Lance didn't say stuff like that all the time, or he wouldn't have a boyfriend.

Shyly sneaking his own hands up to cup Lance's face Keith pushed his forehead against Lance's. "I don't know, I guess your fantastic heart just managed to capture my oblivious one." That sparkle that he loved entered Lance's eyes, as the Cuban boy began to press a soft kiss to his lips, which Keith spent no time melting into. It was innocent, full of love, appreciation for one another and overall just plain amazing.

When they pulled apart and rested their foreheads together again Keith felt his eyes close as he became more relaxed.

"I saw you die." He heard Lance's breath hitch and cracked his eyes open to see the ocean blue ones across from him examining his face. "We- we were on a mission and it went wrong. Jesus Lance, it was... it was a disaster. We had to infiltrate a Galra ship and you got caught in some sort of explosion and-" A sob broke through and tears blurred his sight yet again. This time though Lance brushed them away straight away.

"And you were burned so badly, it...I don't even want to remember what you looked like. But...the others couldn't get to us in time...and you died in my arms and I couldn't do anything!" Definitely sobbing again.

It was like Lance had forgotten how to breath because Keith heard the sharp inhale of breath, but the hands cradling his cheeks didn't let go or even loosen their grip. If anything they held him tighter. "You idiot." That actually hurt. Why would Lance think that him caring about him be stupid!?

"As if I would actually die on you. Like hell I'm leaving you, besides I still have to be here to make sure you don't train yourself to death anyway."

He laughed again and it felt really nice, to know that he felt that way.


	3. I'm just a step away. I'm just a breath away. Losin' my faith today. Fallin' off the edge today

[These next two chapters are based off of this song.](https://youtu.be/cP0e3-4CfDw)

* * *

"Come on guys! Hurry up!"

"Lance we're going as fast as we can!"

"WELL GO FASTER! I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER WE CAN HOLD THEM OFF! KEITH IS BLEEDING OUT ON ME HERE AND FIGHTING! SO HURRY YOUR ASSES!"

He was tempted to turn the com off but didn't. He needed to know when they would be here. Shooting another drone through the head he made a quick check on Keith, to see that the adrenalin was pushing the red paladin through it. Taking a few more shots at the drones that his boyfriend was fighting off he barley ducked the swipe from the Galra commander, that he had been _certain_ had fled the ship in an escape pod.

"Damn it! Keith watch out!" He knew he should be focused on evading the sword of the big scary, very much up close and personal, Galra in front of him. But Lance just couldn't. Keith was hurt, bleeding profusely from a chest wound inflicted by the same sword that was trying to slice him in half. He saw the red paladin jump back sloppily and nearly drop his Bayard as the blood from his chest flowed through the plate channels and slid onto his Bayard making it slippery. "Ah!" Ducking quickly, the sword left a scratch on his helmet as Lance finally zoned back in on the up close enemy. Keith would be fine. Keith would be able to handle this.

"GAH!" Lance's blood ran cold at that noise. Rolling out of the way he shot the Galra in the shoulder, making him drop his blade and kicked him in the chest sending him far off and whipped around to see the most horrifying scene he could ever imagine.

**_"KEITH!"_ **

_WHEN HAD THERE BEEN TWO GALRA OFFICERS!?_

There, gasping weakly with a Galra sword through him was Keith, eyes wide in shock and Bayard on the floor, hands to weak to hold it's weight. And then, the sword was pulled by viciously and a spluttering noise escaped the purple eyed boy as he dropped to his knees and then to his front.

_"It seems the Paladins are not as powerful as their reputation exceeds the to be."_

An unholy noise of pure rage left Lance, and all he could hear was the teams shouting - about what he didn't care to know- as he saw the bastard that killed Keith spit on his dying form.


	4. Thinkin' about me lovin' you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Words in brackets [] are Spanish. The only time any actual Spanish will be in here is if it's Spanglish.

**Breath!**

**Breath! Come on!**

**Breath damn it!**

He gasped as he shot up in bed. Chills from the nightmare seeping into his bones as he searched the room for the other body. Looking next to him he didn't see Keith and immediately panicked. **No, no, no! That was a dream right!? Not a memory. Oh dear God let that of been a dream!**

Jumping up from bed, he went to make his way his way to the door when Keith walked in dressed and with his bayard in hand. Both of them froze when they came face to face.

"Oh thank quiznack!" Lunging at his boyfriend, Lance couldn't help but to pull Keith flush against him, grip his face and press kisses to it feverishly. Only stopping when Keith pulled back and gripped his hands. "What's wrong Lance!?"

He couldn't answer him, just looked the black haired boy deep in  they eye and give him a smile as he knew tears slid down his face. "  
"Nothing." His voice cracked with a kind of horrified joy. Keith was safe, but why had his mind even allowed him to think of something like that!?

"I just thought I'd give you a good morning kiss and you weren't there so..." He didn't get to continue because he actually broke out into sobs then.

His knees gave way and Keith sunk down to his knees with him, pulling him even closer, and letting Lance bury his face into the crook of his neck as he cried.

"You want to talk about it? Or do you need more time to cry?" Lance didn't articulate his answer, just let out a few unabashed sobs, dear god, why did his mind make him go through that!?

"Crying it is." Keith let out a little chuckle at his statement and Lance could only weakly nod, his sobs quietened after a short while, but he didn't remove himself from his position. It felt safe like this. With him holding Keith to him, hiding his face in the crook of his neck while Keith had one arm wrapped around his waist while the other was running through his hair to calm him down.

"Nightmare?"

"Si." Shit. He hadn't meant to speak Spanish. It just came out.

"I'm not the best at Spanish, I can understand most of it,but you can speak it Lance you don't have to be afraid. If it makes you better you do it."

He couldn't help but laugh at that.

"[Thank you so much... I had a nightmare...]"

"Seems like we've both had plenty of those recently."

"[Just like with yours, well reversed, I saw you die.] God Keith! I-I saw you die! And then that...that [bastard!] he spat on your dying body and I felt so angry and I can't...I can't deal with losing you!"

He was crying again, and Keith gently removed him from his neck. Lance could only stare into purple eyes as his own let tears escape. He didn't expect what came out of Keith's mouth.

"Te amo Lance."

Eyes wide and a teary smile on his lips, Lance pulled his boyfriend into a bone crushing hug and a lung wrecking kiss before replying.

"Te amo Keith." 


End file.
